Public buyers must use Find a Tender under no-deal Brexit

The platform that UK public buyers will need to use to publish tenders under a no-deal Brexit will be called Find a Tender.

The government said Find a Tender will be deployed at 11pm GMT on 31 October if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Under this scenario Find a Tender would replace Tenders Electronic Daily, as contracting authorities “may no longer have access” to the Official Journal of the EU.

The government has previously said that public procurement regulations will “remain broadly unchanged” after a no-deal Brexit, with a statutory instrument allowing them to continue to operate.

“The requirement to advertise in Contracts Finder, MOD Defence Contracts Online, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI will remain unchanged,” said the government.

Separately, news rules on prompt payment came into force on 1 September that mean government suppliers must pay 95% of their invoices within 60 days or risking losing out on public contracts.

Minister for implementation Simon Hart said: “Developing a prompt payment culture is critical for all companies helping to deliver vital public services.

“And it’s particularly important for small businesses who may not have the reserves of larger organisations. That’s why we’re making it clear to big businesses that they must get their payment records in order or face the very real risk of missing out on large government contracts in the future.”